Communities are absent from "conventional community development"

Whether viewed as a method or a policy, community development has been widely promoted since the 1940s. Due to its lofty ideals but challenges in implementation, the partiality of administrators and stakeholders, and shifting divisions within society and government, a phenomenon known as "conventional community development"—a form of community development that has lost its focus. Scholars have offered numerous explanations for these biases.

In conventional community development, residents and communities are virtually invisible.

While these practices are common in reality, they deviate from the core principles of community development: community-centeredness, resident participation, and shared benefits. We can call these the main biases of conventional community development.

1. A focus on hardware construction. "Community development" is simplified to infrastructure improvements (such as paving roads and building pavilions), neglecting the connections between people and social networks (Gilchrist, 2009).

2. A project-oriented approach and pressure for short-term performance. To achieve KPIs, the emphasis is placed on form over substance, leading to "performative behavior or participation" or "symbolic consultation" (Taylor, 2003).

3. Lack of resident participation: Decisions are made by external parties (such as the government or construction company), with residents passively accepting them (Chambers, 1997).

4. Pre-defined community needs: Community issues are pre-defined by external experts and are not addressed through a co-construction process (Ledwith, 2011).